Comeback Rams Net 4th Straight D1 Title
June 11, 2016
By Geoff Kimmerly
Second Half editor
BRIGHTON – The MHSAA Division 1 girls lacrosse championship will be staying with Rockford for another – and fourth straight – season.
And what’s more, it will be staying in the Vander Molen family for another year as well after a clutch run by middle sister Mekenzie late in the second half of Saturday’s championship game at Brighton.
The sophomore attack scored the tying and go-ahead goals over a minute with just under six to play as the Rams came back after trailing most of the afternoon to down Birmingham United 12-9 in the first MHSAA Final matchup between the two powerhouses.
Senior Alexandra Vander Molen has been one of Rockford’s top players throughout this four-season title run and will continue her career at Ohio State University. But she was mostly left out of the scoring in her final high school game, with Mekenzie netting three goals and freshman sister Karrington adding one to help send oldest sister off with one more win.
“It meant a lot for me to be on the same team as my sister for this last championship for her,” Mekenzie Vander Molen said. “I’ve learned almost everything from my older sister. I’ve learned how to take better shots, better passes, certain things in certain situations.
“She said, ‘You’ve played a very good game. I’m very proud of you.'”
Birmingham was seeking its first MHSAA title since 2012, and together, the two programs have won nine of the 12 Division 1 championships since girls lacrosse playoffs became MHSAA-sponsored in 2005.
Mekenzie Vander Molen scored her first goal with 11:50 to play in the first half and the Rams trailing 4-0.
The Bulldogs (14-7) dominated off the start and thwarted nearly every attempt Rockford (20-2) made to get back in the game – in large part with the scoring of senior Anna Stachler, whose seven goals tied for second-most in an MHSAA girls lacrosse championship game.
“We threw everything we had at them,” Birmingham coach Jen Dunbar said. “We played hard. They stepped up when they needed to. I can’t pick apart any part of our game. I think we played a great game.”
Rockford drew even for the first time, at 7-7, when Alexandra Vander Molen scored her lone goal with 16:22 to play. Birmingham retook the lead twice on Stachler goals, but Mekenzie Vander Molen's score at 5:46 ended the Bulldogs’ advantage for the last time.
The Rams finished the season on an 11-game winning streak and lost only once to an in-state opponent, by a goal early to East Grand Rapids before later avenging that defeat with a six-goal win.
“Really, it’s just telling the girls to keep their heads in it, and then continue to work,” Rockford coach Mike Emery said of the final comeback. “And we had some other games like that this year. We went down to Illinois and played two really tough teams (Hinsdale Central and New Trier), and we were behind at halftime in both of those and won both of those, and that really helped to prepare us for today, I think.”
Senior Grace Gunneson also had three goals for Rockford, and senior goalie Briana Houle came up with a number of key saves as the Rams became only the sixth team this season to hold Birmingham to fewer than 10 goals.
PHOTOS: (Top) Rockford players swarm coach Mike Emery to take hold of their Division 1 championship trophy. (Middle) The Rams’ Mekenzie Vander Molen works for possession against Birmingham’s Grace Fischer.
Preview: Epic 2022 Finals Set to Play Out Again in Title-Deciding Rematches
By
Geoff Kimmerly
MHSAA.com senior editor
June 8, 2023
Surprises will be hard to come by Saturday at Rockford High School, as both MHSAA Girls Lacrosse Finals are repeats of last season’s championship games and rematches from earlier this spring.
In Division 1, Brighton defeated Grand Rapids Forest Hills Northern/Eastern 12-11 in overtime to close last season, but FHNE opened this one with an 11-6 win over the Bulldogs on March 23 before the teams tied 6-6 in an April 29 rematch.
In Division 2, East Grand Rapids also clinched last year’s title with a 12-11 overtime win, over Detroit Country Day. The Yellowjackets dominated this season’s matchup, however, 18-5 on May 12.
Below is a glance at all four teams playing at Rockford. Statistics are through Regional Finals except for Brighton’s, which include the Semifinal . Rankings are based on the Michigan Power Rating formula used to seed at the Regional level. The Division 2 Final is set for 2 p.m., with Division 1 following at 4:30. Tickets cost $11 and are good for both games, and may be purchased online only at GoFan.
Both games will be broadcast and available with subscription from MHSAA.tv, with free audio broadcasts on the MHSAA Network.
Division 1
BRIGHTON
Record/ranking: 16-8-1, No. 6
League finish: Tied for second in Kensington Lakes Activities Association West
Coach: Ashton Peters, fifth season (57-23-3)
Championship history: Division 1 champion 2022 and 2011, four runner-up finishes.
Best wins: 13-10 (Semifinal) and 7-6 over No. 2 Bloomfield Hills, 12-11 over No. 4 Hartland, 12-10 over No. 10 White Lake Lakeland.
Players to watch: Cecelia Mainhardt, jr. M (74 goals, 16 assists, 34 ground balls); Ella Toth, soph. A (46 goals, 25 assists, 33 ground balls); Gabrielle Buckenberger, jr. G (8.1 goals-against average, 166 saves); Ashleigh Toth, sr. D (4 goals, 1 assist, 33 ground balls).
Outlook: Brighton will be playing in its fifth-straight Division 1 Final but for the first time with a chance to repeat. The Bulldogs rebounded from a 2-4 start this spring and have won eight straight with their only loss over the last month to Division 2 finalist East Grand Rapids, 13-10. Ashleigh Toth, Buckenberger and Mainhardt have been named to the all-state first team, while Ella Toth has made the second and junior attack Georgia Gill (82 goals, 20 assists) and sophomore defender Keelin Ehman (37 ground balls) made the third team. Mainhardt, Ashleigh Toth and Kaia Malachino are the team’s lone senior starters, and Malachino has 18 goals and 10 assists over just seven games.
GRAND RAPIDS FOREST HILLS NORTHERN/EASTERN
Record/ranking: 20-2-1, No. 1
League finish: First in Ottawa-Kent Conference Tier 1
Coach: Joe Curcuru, third season (51-9-1)
Championship history: Division 1 runner-up 2023.
Best wins: 10-2 (Semifinal) and 12-11 over No. 4 Hartland, 14-11 (Regional Final) and 10-8 over No. 3 Rockford, 10-4 over No. 2 Bloomfield Hills, 11-6 over No. 6 Brighton, 18-11 and 16-7 over Division 2 No. 6 East Grand Rapids, 12-2 over Division 2 No. 4 Bloomfield Hills Cranbrook Kingswood, 11-5 over Division 2 No. 1 Detroit Country Day, 13-12 over Division 2 No. 2 Grand Rapids Forest Hills Central.
Players to watch: Alayna Davis, sr. A (72 goals, 70 assists); Sommer-Jo Grieser, sr. G (6.45 goals-against average, 132 saves); Lila Fus, soph. D (2 goals, 5 assists); Mia Dye, jr. A (68 goals, 21 assists).
Outlook: After coming so close to a championship last season in its first as a program, Northern/Eastern has steamrolled through this spring with its only losses to Division 2 finalist Detroit Country Day – after defeating the Yellowjackets six days earlier – and rival Forest Hills Central, which the BirdDogs avenged three weeks later. Davis, Grieser, Fus and Dye all have been named to the all-state first team, with junior midfielder Isabella Bainbridge (49 goals/19 assists) making the second team and senior attack Alexandra Slywka (37/22) making the third. Davis has more than 160 goals combined over just the last two seasons.
Division 2
DETROIT COUNTRY DAY
Record/ranking: 17-1, No. 1
League finish: Does not play in a conference.
Coach: Emma Kuehl, fifth season (65-7)
Championship history: Division 2 runner-up 2022 and 2005.
Best wins: 21-4 (Regional Final) and 7-5 over No. 4 Bloomfield Hills Cranbrook Kingswood, 18-5 over No. 6 East Grand Rapids, 15-6 over Division 1 No. 1 Grand Rapids Forest Hills Northern/Eastern, 11-7 and 16-7 over Division 1 No. 6 Brighton.
Players to watch: Hadley Keating, jr. A (88 goals, 18 assists); Brooke Winowich, soph. M (4 goals); Emma Arico, jr. M (41 goals, 22 assists, 118 draw controls); Sadie Rifkin, jr. M (15 goals, 3 assists).
Outlook: The Yellowjackets’ only loss was to Division 1 top-ranked Forest Hills Northern/Eastern, which they avenged less than a week later. Otherwise, only Cranbrook and Brighton got closer than nine goals. And most impressive of all: Country Day has only one senior. Keating has a combined 160 goals over the last two seasons and has been named to the all-state first team with Brooke Winowich, Arico and Rifkin. Sophomore attack Georgia Pavlou (47 goals/53 assists) and freshman goalie Campbell Linder (3.9 goals-against average/5 shutouts) have made the second team, sophomore mid Olivia Winowich (42 goals/8 assists) and junior defender Alessia Sessa the third and sophomore attack Mary Pavlou (44/10) earned honorable mention.
EAST GRAND RAPIDS
Record/ranking: 16-9, No. 6
League finish: Tied for fourth in O-K Tier 1
Coach: Meggan Loyd, second season (35-11)
Championship history: Eight Division 2 championships (most recent 2022), runner-up in 2017.
Best wins: 15-7 over No. 2 Haslett/Williamston in Semifinal, 9-6 and 10-8 over Bloomfield Hills Cranbrook Kingswood, 12-6 over No. 7 Grand Rapids Northview in Regional Quarterfinal, 18-11 over No. 8 Caledonia in Regional Semifinal, 13-10 over Division 1 No. 6 Brighton.
Players to watch: Vivian LaMange, jr. A (94 goals, 41 assists); Olivia Shaw, jr. A (61 goals, 12 assists); MC Millman, soph. M (21 goals, 8 assists); Elizabeth Grin, sr. D (29 ground balls).
Outlook: East Grand Rapids has won three straight Division 2 championships (not counting the canceled 2020 season) and put together a six-game winning streak to earn an opportunity to win a fourth title in a row. The Pioneers have held their opponents to single-digit goals in five of those six recent wins. All but one loss this season came to opponents that finished the regular season among the top three in MPR in either Division 1 or 2. LaMange has been selected for the all-state first team, Shaw for the second, Millman and Grin to the third and senior attack Brecken Winkel (21 goals/9 assists) received an honorable mention.
PHOTO Detroit Country Day’s Alessia Sessa (1) defends during Wednesday's Semifinal win over Ann Arbor Skyline and Lilly Shannon (17). (Photo by Terry Lyons.)